CHAPTER TWO
"That's Connor. And I'm Murphy, by the way."
"Nice to meet ye Connor!" My sister almost purred his name. "I'm Sujin, and that's my sister Min, sorry to barge in on you like that." She was grinning like a Cheshire cat.
He still had little droplets trickling from his hair and running down the tan skin of his chest. I think my sister and I both had to swallow a sudden excess of saliva.
So, she turned to me and tried to keep a neutral voice to add: "C'est parfait, comme ça on a chacune le sien. (That's perfect, that way we each have one.)"
I rolled my eyes at her lewdness. And the boys glanced at each other with a twinkle in their eyes. I guessed they weren't used to hearing the sound of French around here.
The two looked different. If they had about the same built and same blue irises, this one had slightly darker skin and fairer hair; Murphy had thinner eyes and lips; but they had a similar vibe about them, cocky, playful, yet a little bit guarded. I guess they were the exact opposite from my sister and I, who looked the same but had very different attitudes. However, their similar tattoos, as far as I could see, made sure they were an ensemble set.
I was trying hard not to stare, though I think I failed, and Sujin didn't even bother trying.
"Huh, we can wait in the hallway if you want some privacy…" I offered, a little sheepish.
"What? Why would ye?" he started.
"Make yerselves at home, lasses," Murphy continued.
"Y'want a beer?" Connor finished.
My head spun from looking back and forth between them. Though, he didn't even wait for an answer before he opened the fridge and handed us two Harp lagers. Sujin accepted hers, but I had to decline. "Thanks, but I'm driving… Or at least I should be."
Murphy was already helpfully uncapping my sister's beer with his lighter when he perked up.
"Right! I need to call Troy for some car parts," he explained to his brother.
"Jesus, at this hour? Well good luck with that," Connor replied, sipping at the bottle he'd opened for himself, and I got the bad feeling we should already be looking for hotels instead.
Sujin made herself comfortable on the couch; I, however, remained standing by the door.
"So, how do fine gals like ye find themselves in our neck o' the wood?" Connor asked while his brother went to the phone, and himself went to put on some jeans. Thankfully. Because I was running out of places to look away to.
"By pure luck." Sujin's smile never faltered, directed right at him as he was getting dressed. The nerves on that woman.
"Or God's generous will." And he was answering in kind, detailing her without a hint of shame.
I tried to get her to tone it down, with a pointed look, though she didn't even have to turn my way to know I was doing that, and a mere raise of her eyebrows dared me to do anything to stop her.
"We're supposed to be at a friend's tonight." I was told to let strangers know I'm expected by someone, so they wouldn't kidnap me, but I've got to be honest: at this point I was more trying to remind her, and myself, that we were heading somewhere in the first place.
Murphy hung up the phone, and I thought that maybe I would finally escape the sexual tension building between our siblings, but: "Well, his wife told me that he's already down at the pub."
I let a sigh out. Tomorrow was Sunday, which meant we were indefinitely trapped here. I think Connor spotted my dismay, because: "Come on, lass, cheer up! The pub's just down the street, we'll go find him there." Well, excuse me for thinking that when a mechanic has closed shop, that means his day is over. Or did that mean their freakish Irish charm even worked on other grown men?
"We don't want to be a bother…" I still managed to be shier than I was practical, and Sujin rolled her eyes at me.
"Don't be silly, Min." That's the first time Murphy said my name, with that fricking adorable voice, and butterflies decided to implode inside my stomach. I don't care if that doesn't make sense; that's how it felt.
"We were headed there anyway." And Connor's easy smile did nothing to help.
Sujin jumped back on her feet and threw her arm around my shoulders, probably because she knew I needed a hug at this point.
"You do know you two are absolute angels descended from heaven, right?" she said.
Murphy grinned at his brother and that was the cutest thing ever. "We're told that often."
"But never so sweetly." Connor answered him. And it didn't even sound like a cheesy line; it sounded like he meant it.
He then grabbed his wallet, keys and a pack of smoke, moving effortlessly around the mess, never fumbling, never hesitating, while Murphy walked up to the door, right next to me with an innocent little smile that I couldn't not give back. Though to me, they looked more like two little devils, and I was scared. Scared because this was rapidly transforming into a situation I didn't like to find myself into.
Then, Sujin managed to surprise me, like she often does:
"Do you guys think we could freshen up first? I don't want to impose on your kindness, but we've been driving since this morning…"
"Of course, lass!" Connor didn't even think before tossing her the keys to the apartment. "Take all the time ye need. We'll be down the street, at McGinty's."
"And if anyone bothers ye on the way there, tell them ye're meeting with us," Murphy added, still playing his part of knight-in-armour.
Connor joined him in the hallway, "We'll be waiting for ye," leaving us alone inside.
I let out a scoff and hollered to them before they disappeared from view: "So, you're just giving two strangers your keys without a second thought?"
"Well, lass, if ye find anything worth stealing, help yerself, cause someone else probably left it there!" was the answer that came from down the stairs.
Sujin and I glanced at each other, before we burst out laughing. I guess carefreeness is contagious.
We had everything we needed in our backpacks to take a quick shower and change, though I didn't understand the point.
"You still think we're not spending the night here?" Sujin sneered, and I couldn't tell if she was messing with me or not.
"I mean, you're not suggesting… There's no walls here!" I exclaimed.
"Exactly! I know you never had a one-night stand, so, see it like this: if it doesn't go well, I'll be right there!"
I shake my head at her. I couldn't believe she was seriously considering this.
She just laughed it off: "Come on, they're hot, they're nice, and they like us."
"And we just barely met them. And they're tattooed freaks who live in a dump!"
"Don't be a snob, sis."
"Don't be a slut, sis."
"Oh come on, Min, don't do that to me!"
Do what to you? What about me? She knew I only had sex with two guys, and one of them was my prom date, that would have rather spent the night with her. I wasn't nearly comfortable enough to engage in something like this. And like what, exactly? What was it she thought was going to happen? No way. I like to know the people I get intimate with, and I like privacy.
"It's not like we've never seen each other naked." Filthy little mind-reader… "We went through puberty in the same room, remember? We discovered about sex right next to each other!"
I ignore that and try to bait her with healthier prospects: "I thought you wanted to go to Amy's party tonight."
"Well, it's late, and I already know everyone there. You know I like to meet new people…"
I snorted at that. She couldn't be real.
"Sorry, but it's my day today, so that's a 'no'. We're getting the car fixed or we're getting a hotel."
I knew she wanted to tell me I'm a buzzkill, and bully me into accepting, but she refrained, and I'm grateful for that.
The thing is, it might look like I should be loosening up and listening to her more, but in truth, we both know I'm a safeguard. Without me, she's just as likely to lose control and find herself in impossible – and, more often than not, dangerous – situations than I'm likely to withdraw into myself and lose touch with the outside world without her. We balance each other out. That's why we need each other. That's why we remain together. And that's why we must trust each other. Because we can't trust ourselves.
I still quickly washed up the day's sweat, tied my hair up, and changed into a Black Sabbath t-shirt. I turned to her, satisfied. However, her look said it all.
"What? At least this one is skin-tight!"
"That's not skin-tight, dear, that's just how normal clothes fit. And don't you have a band's name that won't offend their belief at least?"
Right. Religious tattoos and rosaries around their necks were pretty obvious hints. I peered into my bag. "Huh… No. I don't."
She rolled her eyes while putting on some mascara – which is hard to do. She, on the other end, had elected to let her long jet-black hair flow down between her shoulder blades, and had found a little summer dress in which she'd definitely get cold once the sun was down.
Now, the sun was getting pretty low already, between the surrounding buildings. We walked to the bar hand in hand, without any problem, only a few whistles, and I'm pretty sure a guy followed us there until we actually got inside and were greeted by the twins. Everyone seemed to know them. They both gave us an appreciative look that managed to be flattering instead of the crass ones others threw. Maybe because it was accompanied by a friendly straightforward smile.
"So, Troy went to see if he has the parts ye need. We gave him the model of the car; he shouldn't be too long."
"Wow, are all Irish people that nice?" Sujin marvelled.
"Nah, only us." Murphy quipped. "Others just owe us favours." His little satisfied smile made me chuckle.
"Now the ladies will surely have a drink, right? Since we're here." Connor asked; they were both already nursing their whiskey.
"I won't. Still hoping to get back behind the wheel tonight, remember?" I was surprised to hear that I sounded sad. And I could see that the boys were disappointed. But they didn't insist. So Sujin ordered me a virgin soda, and another beer for herself. I would need to watch out for her.
We almost got our IDs out on reflex, since we usually get carded – probably because white people can't tell if we're eighteen or thirty –, but not here; no one seemed to care. The old bartender gave out the drinks with a "Fuck! Ass!", that I was amusedly told not to take personally, and never handed either of us a bill.
Conversation was easy with those guys. They told us about their meat-factory job – and the fact that it was the only place that wouldn't fire them. Seeing how chipper and fidgety they were, sparring with each other at every turn, it wasn't a surprise. We told them about how we also managed to get hired by the same company – Sujin had a boring HR job and I was assisting the legal adviser. We both felt like we were selling our souls to capitalism, but we thought it was better than waitressing, which we'd done through college. Our quiet, well-ordered lives couldn't be more different from theirs and yet, we strangely understood each others.
"We don't really care what we do, as long as we get to do it together, you know."
They knew. They played tough, as if the other were no more than a nuisance, but I'd done that act enough to see right through it.
When their friend came back, he unfortunately told us he hadn't found the parts that would fit our engine. "We can try and find some spares at the junkyard, but that'll need to wait until tomorrow."
Damn. And it was already 9p.m. now. I huffed and buried my face in my hands, trying to think. We needed to call Amy to tell her we couldn't get there tonight, and then:
"Do you know where we could find a hotel?" I asked, my voice muffled by my own palms.
"In the neighbourhood, there's only the one, but… I don't know that ye'd want to go there, lass." Connor answered with a cringe.
"Is it that bad?"
"It's just… It's the kind of hotel ye pay by the hour, ye know."
"Ugh…" is the only dejected sound I could muster.
"I guess there's others further away; we can ask around." You could count on Murphy to be helpful.
But Sujin hesitantly spoke up: "I don't know, Min, it's getting late. I'm not sure I want to walk around to try and find a place now, when it even might be closed by the time we get there. I mean, it's only for tonight."
"What do you suggest, then? I imagine they also have a price for the whole night, but you would really want to sleep in a place like that?"
"At least we know we can get there as late as we want, and there'll still be someone at the front desk."
"And I heard it's not that bad," Connor chimed in. "If ye have earplugs, that is."
I hated it. And I hated that it was my string of bad choices that had brought us in this dead-end.
I sighed: "Well… In anyway, I guess I can get a taste of that whiskey now." And let future-me handle the problem.
"Cheers to that!"
See, it's because those two Irishmen were way too distracting that I didn't pick up on Sujin's swallowed smile then. I can't believe I have been played so easily.
Now, I must admit no one forced me to drink. I evidently lost control of the situation. Still, I can't begin to comprehend how it happened.